


Miss Hobson's Heart

by 4love



Category: the Book of Gray Magic (Visual Novel Series)
Genre: Canonical Character Death, F/F, Gray Mage (the Book of Gray Magic), Multi, Spoilers, Teacher-Student Relationship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-18
Updated: 2017-10-18
Packaged: 2019-01-19 04:05:17
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,412
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12402624
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/4love/pseuds/4love
Summary: Felicia is, in her teacher Aku Hobson's words, a choice meal and Aku's most promising student. This school year follows on the heels of the death of Head Luciana and Head Zakaria and a large turnover in the teaching staff of the Mountain. It is not merely the fallout and turmoil that sets this year apart in Felicia's experience. Troubling murders at the Mountain have taken the lives of 2 students and 1 teacher and left Head Aelfnod without a voice. Amidst all this chaos, how will Felicia fare in matters of the heart?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Starts with spoilers for [Pale Spectrum's](http://ithaqualabs.com/home/index.php/completed-games/pale-spectrum/) [Inside Out](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/4love/Miss-Hobsons-Heart/master/route-to-the-heart.dot.svg?sanitize=true) ending.

The unexplained murders had forced the Heads' to evacuate the Mountain to protect the students, and today the students were being sent home in a sudden and massive exodus. This was merely one of the reasons why Felicia had come to consider today to be the worst day thus far this year. _I missed my chance to get paired with Aku,_ Felicia sighed to herself, helplessly remembering her list of today's woes. She'd known that Aku and her mysterious pair, Lady Lyrael, had dissolved their mark without explanation or comment not so long ago. This observation had excited her, but she hadn't know that a rushed pairing ceremony was being held today before the evacuation started in earnest. Even had she known, there was the fact that both Felicia and Aku were paladins. In the long history of the Mountain and its graduates, it was unheard of for two paladins to be paired. Always the pairs were one necromancer, a mage wielding shadow, with one paladin, a mage wielding light. Still, Felicia had entertained the dream that Aku could be paired to her. Not everything the Mountain had always taught about magic was true. Both she and Aku, and Felicia's friend and fellow student Igor, could tap into both the shadow and the light. The teachers at the Mountain did not teach that any mage could have access to both pools of magic just by virtue of birth alone. With all the myths made real that Felicia had learned of from Aku, Felicia had harbored the cherished little hope that perhaps there could have been a happy accident at the pairing ritual. It was not be. By the time Felicia had heard about the ritual this morning, the ritual had been over. Everything was so rushed at the Mountain today. The glimmer of hope had been well and truly extinguished after confirming visually Aku and Lady Lyrael's newly returned marks. Aku's hand had shown the mark of the sword, the same mark as it had before she and Lady Lyrael had dissolved their pair, and Lady Lyrael's mark had returned as well. Felicia had only learned of the ceremony when she had sought out Aku, intending to bid her favorite teacher farewell and to ask her if she might return Ryussia. The uncertain future of the Mountain was trouble enough, but Felicia's freshly quashed dream had robbed her of her courage and she had slunk off to her room to make pretense that she really really needed to pack her belongings. The relative calm of her home away from home had only provoked further introspection rather than comfort, and now having swallowed two bitter pills today, Felicia was resolve that she would not tolerate leaving without at least saying goodbye to Aku. The Mountain's staff was far too overworked to give her trouble for being delinquent in gathering her things to leave, and this worked in her favor now. Aku had been easy enough to find in the morning, but now Felicia was having trouble tracking her down again now. If one could find Aku, Lady Lyrael was rarely far these days, even if Aku herself didn't realize Lady Lyrael was following her. Felicia was sure that Aku must know by now that Lady Lyrael was following her around like a deranged puppy. The first time Felicia had spoken to Lady Lyrael in Aku's company, it had been sudden jealousy that had given Felicia the courage to ask if Aku and her pair were romantically involved. Lady Lyrael's straightforward answer had embarrassed Aku greatly, but Felicia had felt her jealousy doused by numbness at that time. Later, once she had had time to process her own feelings, she had dreamed quite a bit about Lady Lyrael's comment of "every night" and its implications.

Felicia's frustrated sigh was interrupted by a voice behind her, and she yelped in a most undignified manner. Turning, she looked up into the yellow reptilian eyes of a green, scaly, one-armed humanoid with a thick tail longer than Felicia was tall. The androgynous lizard person paused to stare back at Felicia, and Felicia hastily averted her eyes. She hadn't been this surprised since that prank Aku and Lady Lyrael had played on her while they had all been pretending to be stargazing to fool Head Nyssa. Flushing, she remembered Aku's words from that night, how Aku had without hesitation or chagrin described Felicia as a _choice meal_. Granted, Aku had merely been referring to Felicia as bait for the murderer, a compliment to Felicia's abilities as a mage in training, but Felicia had been a little distracted ever since with thoughts of Aku having a _taste_ of her _choice meal_. Like now. Now, Felicia was very distracted.

With a start, Felicia realized the lizard person was addressing her. The lizard person's voice was decidedly feminine to Felicia's hearing, but Felicia had no idea of judging the gender of another species.

"Hello. I am lead to understand you have a monster that needs hunting? I am very good at both things," said the lizard person. _Both things?_ Felicia thought to herself, _What is she talking about?_ Felicia's distraction was changing to confusion as the lizard person continued, "Though in hunting, I only capture the beast upon my canvas. Kobolds do not eat flesh or plant, you see?"

"Kobolds," said Felicia, recognizing the word. _I've never met a kobold, but Aku has. She had mentioned knowing two kobolds at the Royal Palace in Ryussia._ Felicia was studying rudimentary reinforcement magic and of a necessity the basics of anatomy, but a glance was really all she needed to she could see clearly that what she knew of humans did not translate to kobolds, if indeed this person was a kobold. _Aku did describe her kobold friends as reptilian in appearance._ "Are you Lady Aku's friend? Are you Mox or Krok?" said Felicia. _Hopefully she's not the murderer._ Nervously, Felicia found herself checking the corridor for others. _Yep, I am alone in this corridor. With this kobold. Alleged kobold. Possible murderer. Let's just assume she is what she says she is._

"I am Nik," replied the kobold, "I am friend to Lady Aku by extension." Felicia tensed when Nik took Felicia's hand in her own, but Nik merely bowed, drawing Felicia's hand to her lips. _Whoa, is she-_ Felicia was shocked when she felt Nik's forked and rough tongue give the back of her hand a single long lick.

Trying to not be distracted by thinking of Aku possessing a tongue with such length, Felicia did the best she could to follow the situation at hand, "I think you're supposed to kiss it, not lick it."

Nik released Felicia's hand, "But you taste wonderful! You burn with Light!" Too distracted by her unsolicited fantasy, Felicia merely said, "Thank you?" The notion of Aku secretly being part-kobold and how precisely kobold-Aku's devastatingly long tongue might enjoy a _choice meal_ was overriding Felicia's better judgment.

Felicia's daydreams were not even interrupted when Igor, coming from the great hall, finally caught up with her, rounding the corner saying something before breaking off into curses at the sight of Nik. Unbalanced, he tripped over his own feet, his skeletal prosthetic arm clattering to the floor at his side. Felicia's eyes followed Nik as the kobold swiftly caught Igor, righting him before he hit the ground. Nik picked up Igor's bony arm and treated it too to a lick after they blatantly sniffed it. Felicia's distraction began to incorporate this new element and she did not process what Nik and Igor said to each other. A moment longer, and Nik was walking down the corridor towards the great hall, an ax in each hand, produced from a strap that ran around the thick base of Nik's tail.

"Wait," said Felicia to herself, confusion supplanting distraction in her mind, "didn't she have only one arm a minute ago?"

Igor just looked at Felicia. "I don't know. . . I was too distracted by her face," said Igor, "Was that a kobold?"

"I think so," said Felicia. _I sure wasn't distracted by the kobold's face. I guess she's a she? Maybe I'm just biased by that tongue,_ Felicia thought to herself as she continued looking down the corridor to where Nik had already vanished from their sight.

Felicia wasn't sure what Igor said next because at the junction of the corridor behind him she saw a figure shrouded in a flood of shadow magic. Whoever it was, they dashed impossibly fast down the corridor to the great hall. So fast that Felicia couldn't be sure, but she had seen a flash of. . . red hair? _Was that Aku? How- No, not how. If Nik's here to fight a monster, the murderer most likely, then there's no way Aku wouldn't be far behind._ Without hesitation, Felicia started running towards the great hall herself. Dipping into the light and reinforcing her frame, she outpaced Igor easily, but she knew her fastest was nothing compared to the blinding pace Aku had been moving at. Whatever was happening, Felicia hoped that Aku would be alright. Head Aelfnod had been lucky to survive the murderer while losing only his vocal chords to injury, and although Felicia believed strongly in Aku's abilities, Felicia felt dread at what Aku might suffer. In moments, Felicia saw Lady Lyrael streak past her, Lady Lyrael's masterful command of shadow propelling her after her pair far faster than Felicia's developing enhancement magic could manage.

By the time Felicia reached the great hall, Felicia was panting with exertion and the glow of fierce necromantic magics illumined the area while a battle of metal on metal was audible. Felicia pushed past the clustered onlookers and saw the spectacle herself. Nik's impressive frame was dwarfed by a seething black and gray mass that struck back at her with inhuman agility and speed. Lady Lyrael was barely recognizable through the font of necromantic magic that shrouded her form and overflowed outward freely staining the space around her with the magic she commanded. And then suddenly Lady Lyrael was upon the monster, fighting alongside Nik. A broken body, nothing more than a corpse clearly, was what Lady Lyrael had been looking at. Felicia shuddered, not recognized the dead person, _Another student, the fourth person to die to this, this monster._ Between the sudden onslaught of Lady Lyrael's shadow and Nik's expertly wielded axes, it seemed that the monster was cornered. _But where's Aku?_ Save for other onlookers standing at a distance, like herself, the great hall was devoid of anyone that she could see other than Nik, Lady Lyrael, and the fiend. _I did see Aku, right? She would have gotten here first. Is she fighting another monster somewhere?_ Before Felicia could ask the students beside her, her eyes were captured by a bright red she had dismissed moments prior as part of the flow of blood that visibly surrounded this bright red. It was not blood. It was hair. Felicia realized what had been in front of her all along. Lady Lyrael had stood over the broken form of Aku just moments ago before throwing herself at the monster with vengeful fury. Aku lay on her back, her head lolled to one side, her luscious red hair spilled outwards. Aku's chest was open, like that of the the monster's first victim. The ribcage was torn asunder, the flesh ragged, and the grotesque features of a human's organs were visible for all to see. Blood pooled around Aku, saturating her dress and seeping along the places where the tiles in the floor of the hall. No trace of the overwhelming magic she had wielded scarcely a minute prior was visible. She lay still, her eyes open and staring pointlessly.

 _I don't know how to heal._ The thought echoed in Felicia's mind. _I am a paladin in training, yet I have access to both the shadow and the light. I don't know how to heal. Igor and I only really figured out how to cast gray sight and we didn't even know that we were tapping both pools by doing so until Aku told us. I have the magics necessary, but I don't know how to use them._ Felicia felt weak, but the thought that Aku could not be dead kept her standing. _Lyrael, Lady Lyrael wouldn't let Aku die, not like this, not ever._ Lady Lyrael was yelling, raging, as her magics hounded the monster. The precise words were hard to follow, but what Felicia could hear were curses and promises to kill. Suddenly, Lady Lyrael fell to the ground as though a giant had swatted a bug. One moment she had been standing, then Felicia saw Lady Lyrael's legs bend the wrong way and in places they should never have bent, and then Lady Lyrael was prone, flattened against the floor of the great hall, Nik laid out similarly beside her. The monster was almost upon them in an instant but just as suddenly a bright light blinded Felicia. Precious seconds later, as she vainly tried to blink away the afterimage, Felicia beheld Head Aelfnod standing calmly where the monster had been moments before. A radiant hammer in his hands, golden like the shields paladins wove from the light. The hammer faded from existence, winking out as though it too was merely another afterimage. Head Aelfnod surveyed the field of obsidian shards and viscera that surrounded him. The hall was silent and still. Far, far too still.

The man who was both Head Aelfnod's personal guard and the Mountain's guard captain, Vasco, ran into the room, and Aelfnod met him with a warm embrace. The realization that the battle was over hit Felicia. Stumbling, she ran to where Aku lay. Aku did not stir. This close, Felicia could plainly see that no heart beat within Aku's chest. There was no heart at all. Felicia had learned enough from being privy to Aku and Lady Lyrael's conversations to know how gray mages worked, though Lady Lyrael seemed to know much more than she let on. Aku had been convinced the murderer was a Gray Mage preying on the Mountain's students. Gray Mages took an organ from another mage and transplanted it into their own body, and thus they took the life and magic of the donor, whether the donor was willing or not. The murderer had operated on this same principle, leaving its victims mauled and missing a select few parts. Felicia would never forget the sight when she and Igor had examined the first corpse. Felicia had never seen the organs that held light and shadow, but she knew the heart was the vessel for both magics and she knew in a general sort of way what a heart should be shaped like. _Aku cannot heal herself because the monster stole her heart from her body._ Not hesitating to wonder if even Aku could heal these horrific wounds, Felicia searched the scattered remains of the beast, her eyes examining each warm lump in detail, and her feet taking a careful path to avoid stepping on anything that might be what she sought. Blood stained her hands as she picked up and examined first one then another and countless other bloody, broken tissues that had exploded from the monster's undoing. The obsidian shrapnel that littered the hall was sharper than glass, but Felicia ignored the pain from handling it as precious time passed.

Lady Lyrael, unsteady on her feet but resolute, walked past Felicia, paying her no mind. Felicia stared at Lady Lyrael's retreating back blankly for a moment before whirling to look at Aku. Aku lay still, undisturbed. Other paladins, full-fledged, paired mages that could heal, unlike herself, had entered the hall, tending to the wounded, but none tended to Aku. Head Aelfnod was no where to be seen, but Head Nyssa stood amidst the chaos, trying to give it direction. _Lady Lyrael wouldn't heal herself and leave Aku to die._ thought Felicia as she abandoned her search and ran after Lady Lyrael. _Why- No, what is Lady Lyrael doing?_ Felicia's thoughts darkened as she followed Lady Lyrael through the halls of the Mountain. _Aku's dying, what is she doing?!_ Felicia could not bring herself to approach Lady Lyrael. Minutes passed, and Felicia trailed behind, the more optimistic part of her mind telling itself that she did not want to interfere with Lady Lyrael saving Aku.

By the time Lady Lyrael reached the office of the Heads, Felicia didn't know what she believed anymore. Peeking inside just in time to see Lady Lyrael vanish into a secret door hidden behind a bookcase, Felicia was convinced that Lady Lyrael, whatever she was doing, was not trying to save Lyrael. The way remained open, but Felicia could not bring herself to follow. _It would just waste more of Aku's time._ Emotionally numb, Felicia ran back to the great hall to get help. Head Nyssa had been in the great hall directing matters. _If Lady Lyrael is up to no good in the Heads' office, then Head Nyssa will be able to-,_ Felicia didn't finish the thought as she ran.

The hours following the battle had overwhelmed Felicia, physically. She was numb the whole time. She had returned to the great hall, but Aku's corpse had been covered by a black sheet. Felicia barely heeded the world around her after Head Nyssa had gone to confront Lady Lyrael. Igor had tried talking to Felicia, but she hadn't cared to listen to anything while she knelt next to the blood-soaked shroud. Felicia knew that someone had healed the cuts the obsidian had left on her fingers, but her mind was fuzzy on how she had been returned to her own quarters. The evacuation of the Mountain was canceled it seemed. There was still blood under her nails from her frantic search, but it seemed the rest of it had been washed off at some point. Her clothes were unchanged, a mess. She sat in her comfy chair, staring at the closed door. Her bed was still as neatly made as she had left it that morning. The stars shown in through her room's sole window. It was the absent thought of wondering where Aku was now that brought Felicia back to a semblance of clarity. _At this time of night, Aku should be in the quarters she shares with Lady Lyrael._ With this thought in mind, Felicia left her room and walked through the now dark corridors of the Mountain. Others were up and about at this time of night, haggard and likely dealing with some aftermath of today's events. No one got in Felicia's way as her feet led her to the door of Aku's chambers. A light shown from inside, spilling out from underneath the door. She knocked. She waited. The door opened.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [v0.0.0->v0.0.1](https://github.com/4love/Miss-Hobsons-Heart/compare/v0.0.0...v0.0.1?diff=split&name=v0.0.1#diff-99b7ef76c6f5383ebabaf3b84725e3fa)


	2. Chapter 2

Lady Lyrael stood by the open door, her glowing yellow eyes, their luminescence the mark of her long practice of necromancy, rested upon Felicia's purple orbs. Felicia spared Lady Lyrael only a glance before looking past her to the room behind Lady Lyrael, Felicia's eyes roving, franticly seeking a hint of another occupant in the room.

"Where-" said Felicia, only to be cut off by Lady Lyrael.

"She is whole." _Whole! Thank goodness, Aku's alive. Maybe she's resting on their bed, or in the infirmary. Why didn't I check there first?_ Lady Lyrael looked down, noticing for the first time the long-dried stains of blood adorning Felicia's clothes.

Pausing a moment as if in thought, Lady Lyrael said, "We are a full gray mage, two halves made whole." _Both Aku and Lady Lyrael are gray mages?! No, Aku swore, repeatedly, that she would never become a gray mage. No matter how Lady Lyrael offered her own heart again and again, Aku always refused._

"What?" said Felicia, "She- No, you- How? Why?"

"Her heart beats within my breast. Her love lives on," said Lady Lyrael, "The golem fatally wounded her, stealing her mana with its first strike," Lady Lyrael's eyes closed though her voice did not waver, "Our pairing was broken. She could not draw mana from me. She refused to take me to save herself. And still the golem raged unchecked." *How would that make Aku a gra- oh nonono, Lady Lyrael, please tell me you didn't. . . *

"So you. . . took her?" said Felicia.

Lady Lyrael nodded, "Yes."

"So, Miss Hobson is. . . gone," said Felicia, feeling a great weariness as though her body only now acknowledged she had run a marathon. _Aku is dead. No more. . . anything. Lady Lyrael wasn't saving her. She was already dead back then._

"Felicia, Aku will resume her teaching duties once we are able," said Lady Lyrael as she reached out, her hand resting lightly on Felicia's shoulder guiding Felicia forward, "Come and sit. Aku is worried you might collapse."

Felicia's thoughts blanked as she let herself be guided towards one the room's two chairs, "Is-is Aku dead? Or is she. . . not. . . dead?"

Lady Lyrael, easing herself into the other chair, beside the one Felicia now sat in, said again, "She is whole."

Nervously looking back to the door Lady Lyrael had closed behind them, Felicia said, "What- You-you said that before. What does that mean?"

"Her body is dead, except for the heart that now beats within our breast," said Lady Lyrael, placing her hand tenderly over her chest, opposite the side where a human's heart naturally resided.

"But you said she was _worried_ ," said Felicia plaintively, "How can she be dead and _worried_?"

"She is-," started Lady Lyrael, but she stopped as though interrupted. "She lives in our body, we are two halves made whole," said Lady Lyrael, "Her voice is counsel to our mind. This is how many full gray mages live, two halves made whole." Lady Lyrael studied Felicia's face, waiting.

"So, what, Miss Hobson is a, well, a voice in your head? Are you imagining her?" said Felicia, her confusion evident in her voice.

"No, I am not imagining her voice," replied Lady Lyrael curtly. "Actually, I was observing your class at that time," said Lady Lyrael.

"Huh?" said Felicia, "Are-are you talking to her? Now?"

"Yes," said Lady Lyrael as if it were the most natural thing in the world to hold conference with your dead pair, "She was saying I should tell you something I would not know, but you and her would know. However, I _was_ present when you brought the scream to her attention."

"No you weren't," said Felicia, "Well, or at least, I don't remember you being there." _I suppose Lady Lyrael could have wrapped herself in shadow mana like she usually does when she stalked Aku, but I didn't even notice Lady Lyrael on campus until later that year, that day when Igor and I confronted Aku._ Shaking her head, Felicia said, "But that's not important. Aku, er, Miss, uh, Professor Hobson can speak to you, you can hear her, I don't hear her, but she. . . she's not just your imagination. She's real." It was a half-question from Felicia, her eyes looking to Lady Lyrael's with tentative hope.

"That has not been decided yet," said Lady Lyrael, her gaze not focused on Felicia.

"Huh?" Felicia was confused again.

"I was speaking to Aku. Felicia, you are correct. Aku is real. She is whole." *I have no idea what to feel about this. At least Aku's not dead, but still. . . * "It is the best description of you, of us," said Lady Lyrael, sounding a little defensive. Putting the pieces together, Felicia realized Aku was likely chastising Lady Lyrael for falling back to the "she is whole" non-explanation again. _Aku's speaking to Lady Lyrael, right next to me. I could reach out and touch Aku, but. . . she's not there and I cannot hear her._

"She is whole," said Felicia slowly, as though testing the taste of the words on her tongue, "I think I get it. Sort of." _How does that even work? I've never heard voices in my head before. Could it have been me, what would Aku say if she was in my mind itself._ Abruptly embarrassed, Felicia stood and, intending to excuse herself, said, "Well, uh, okay. Um, thank you for, saving her? I guess. yeah. Tell her I hope she," Felicia paused, not really knowing what she wanted to tell Aku, "feels better," Felicia finished lamely. Looking up to Felicia, Lady Lyrael was about to reply when Felicia spoke again, "Do you have to tell her things? Or, well, can she hear me herself?"

"We can hear you," said Lady Lyrael, "She-we are still adjusting, but she is feeling better. We are both feeling better. We are glad the golem was destroyed before any more students were harmed," Lady Lyrael looked a little sad, leaving what she was not glad about unsaid. _Lady Lyrael, she never wanted to take Aku's heart. She was always begging Aku to take hers. Is this. . . symbiosis what she wanted? To be a voice that only Aku could hear? I still don't have a handle on what that would be like._

"I'm glad you are alright, Lady Hobson," said Felicia gently, "And, thank you, Lady Lyrael, for saving her. I-," Felicia paused, "Er, can I, ahm, hug you Miss Hobson? And you too, Lady Lyrael, of course. Um, only if you want," Felicia flushed, not able to meet Lady Lyrael's gaze. _Or is this Aku's gaze? Two halves, one whole. two people, one person._ Lady Lyrael said nothing for what felt like an eternity to Felicia. Then, Lady Lyrael stood and Felicia's eyes followed the movement. Lady Lyrael was roughly the same height as Aku had been before, a little less than a head's worth taller than Felicia herself, and now Felicia found herself looking up and into Lady Lyrael's yellow eyes. _Aku's eyes were a darker shade, closer to gold than to yellow. And they did not have the glow nor her skin the pallor of necromancy like Lady Lyrael does._ Without exposition, Lady Lyrael drew Felicia into an awkward embrace, Lady Lyrael's arms draped across Felicia's shoulders, stiff, but welcoming all the same. After a heartbeat, Felicia returned the embrace, leaning into Lady Lyrael's chest, her eyes closing as she gladly slid her arms around Lady Lyrael's back, and by extension, Aku. _She feels so thin,_ thought Felicia as her arms had no trouble encircling Lady Lyrael, _I'm hugging Lady Lyrael. . . and Aku. I guess this is the truth of two halves being made whole. There's not one without the other now._ Sighing lightly to herself, Felicia lamented, _And here I thought they were inseparable before. This is, well, this is extreme whatever it is._

Felicia, self-conscious of herself, broke the hug and stepped back, "Well, um, thank you Miss, er, Lady Hobson and Lady Lyrael," _I really need a better way to address them._ "I, uh, I'll let you two get some rest," and with that Felicia turned and hurriedly left the room.

It was while Felicia shut the door behind her, that she heard Lady Lyrael saying, "We must rest. We can pet kitties tomorrow." _Great,_ thought Felicia to herself, _I'm super tired, and I'm going to have very weird and challenging dreams about Lady-Lyrael-Aku petting my kitty. Definitely the worst day this year, but it could have been worse. Aku is alive, well, in at least one of the important ways that matter she's alive._

On her way back to her room, Felicia, stopped at the garden, not wanting just yet to go back to her room. _The starlight makes this place seem like a different place than it is during the day._ Finding her way slowly to the long stone bench that looked to have outlasted generations of students, Felicia laid herself down and gazed upwards. It was not the most comfortable of resting places. A leafy tree blocked the sky to her right, and the buildings around her framed her view, but the stars were there, as if she were on the threshold of an open door into the sky. Remembering the night that Aku had pointed out several constellations to Head Nyssa, Felicia searched for the non-constellation that Lady Lyrael had explained the story of. It did not take her long to find the unnatural splash of darkness, now that she knew what to look for. In the minutes she regarded it, none of the stars around it winked out like they had when Aku and Lady Lyrael had had their fun. _It was an unexpected moment, but it was nice to see Aku laugh so freely. I was a little too stressed out at the time to appreciate it. I. . . suppose that's the last time I will ever hear Aku's laughter, or see her smile. Lady Lyrael can hear her at least, so I hope Aku can still laugh genuinely._ Felicia couldn't recall the full list of constellations that Aku had rattled off, but she remembered the wyrms at least, if not where to find them. She wondered what the constellation looked like. _Lady Lyrael was so serious when she explained the devouring darkness. Seven beasts she said, though I'm not sure I recall all of the ones she listed. Did she count the wyrms as one beast or were they two? I don't remember._ Felicia's eyes scanned idly as her thoughts lingered. Lady Lyrael had not been particularly subtle about her background as a gray cultist, though Aku had always been quick to cover for her. _I wish I knew the story of the wyrms, or at least Lady Lyrael's telling of it. She knows so much about gray mages that I don't. I doubt any of the teachers know as much as her. Her descriptions were nothing like the books on gray mages we have here, and like Aku said, I really shouldn't believe everything I've learned in school. If the wyrms were two beasts, not one, then did they ever become whole? I can see how that would be important mythology to Lady Lyrael._

"Mmm," murmured Felicia, shifting her position only to realize that her eyes were closed and her thoughts fleeting, like she was waking from a dream soon to be forgotten. _I must have drifted off. I guess the stone bench was too comfortable._ Without further distraction, she left the garden, returning to her quarters and the comfy bed that waited for her still.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [v0.0.0->v0.0.1](https://github.com/4love/Miss-Hobsons-Heart/compare/v0.0.0...v0.0.1?diff=split&name=v0.0.1#diff-3bc67564084795fd5ca10af487bf859e)


	3. Chapter 3

The next morning, after her routine ablutions, Felicia found her usual spot next to Igor at breakfast in the cafeteria. No one seemed too clear on what was happening today at the Mountain, so until she heard otherwise, Felicia planned to just attend class as usual. The only issue was that after her morning class, she would be attending Aku's class.

"Felicia," Igor said, the light touch of his skeletal hand resting on her shoulder drawing Felicia out of her sleepy reverie, "I-if you need to talk, I would listen. You are my best friend, and I can only imagine what you must be going through what with-"

"Thank you Igor," Felicia cut him off and stood, suddenly not as hungry, "I'm fine. This, well, this is different, but things are not as bad as they could have been." _He likely doesn't know, but I don't really feel like explaining right now. I don't really know if I still believe the only explanation I have._

Igor looked like he wanted to say more, but Felicia didn't wait to give him the chance, "I have to get to class now." _I'm going to be early to class for once. Just one class to sit through, and then, well, then Aku's class._

Felicia's first class was with Head Nyssa, and after some time it became evident to the fraction of the students that had shown up today that Head Nyssa was otherwise engaged. _I remember the day Aku was so lost in thought that she didn't even realize the class was ready to start. She never did confide in me._ Unbidden, Felicia found herself remembering the words Aku had said, "These are troubles that a student shouldn't have to face." _Would anything have been different if I hadn't just been a student, at least in her eyes?_ Felicia distracted herself from her own restless thoughts by visiting the library to acquire a book on the magic arts of healing. Despite the plentiful reading material, she found herself packing up early, anticipating the next class, _Aku's class_ , yet feeling emotionally numb all the same. _These are troubles a student shouldn't have to face. I don't feel like much of a student anymore. Though a master paladin would be able to heal at least,_ Felicia scowled.

Rounding a corner not far from the classroom, Felicia came upon Lady Lyrael, holding a kitty, a mottled assortments of different shades of long gray fur, in her arms. The kitty purred audibly, clearly content as Lady Lyrael's fingers gently worked along the underside of the kitty's jaw, the kitty's eyes were closed in the picture of perfect feline pleasure.

"Good morning Lady Lyrael and, uh, Lady Hobson." Lady Lyrael said nothing but her eyes met Felicia's. A passing necromancer student looked at Felicia sadly before hurrying on their way. Felicia noticed, but wished she hadn't. _It is really really weird seeing Lady Lyrael and knowing she's petting kitties for Aku._ "Lady Hobson, can you-er, I'm not sure which of you to address when asking this," said Felicia.

"Good morning," said Lyrael, "Do you want another hug?" After a moment of Felicia's silence, Lyrael said, "You may address whichever of us you wish to speak to. We can both hear you."

Felicia, still at a loss from the disconcerting order she perceived the conversation in, blurted out the only thing that came to mind, "Hug?"

Wordlessly, Lady Lyrael stepped forward before stopping as she just then realized her arms were already occupied by a happy kitty. "Yes," said Lady Lyrael in agreement as she knelt and gently set the kitty down before closing the distance between herself and Felicia. Lady Lyrael paused, her gaze not focused on Felicia for a moment, before she shrugged and said, "Yes, but you said it's fine since it's Felicia." Felicia felt her cheeks set aflame. Lady Lyrael was definitely inside Felicia's personal space at this moment, but hearing those words Felicia did not feel like stepping back. Felicia was vaguely aware of the kitty rubbing up against Lady Lyrael's boot, less than a small hand's length away from her own. Lady Lyrael tilted her head to the side, confused, her long braid swaying behind her like a pendulum, "What is a filter?" Felicia couldn't help herself as she giggled, _I guess Lady Lyrael can't just think to Aku, she seems to have to speak out loud for Aku to hear her, but still only she can hear Aku. Or is she doing that for my benefit? Or just to tease Aku?_

Lady Lyrael shrugged again, and drew Felicia into another embrace, one which Felicia could only return with one hand as her books and papers were cradled against her chest with the other. Felicia could feel Lady Lyrael's back beneath the thin layers of fabric Lady Lyrael wore that day. It wasn't the most natural embrace, and to steady herself, Felicia found herself standing on her toes slightly, to bring her chin level with Lady Lyrael's shoulders. Felicia's hand rested on the bare skin of Lady Lyrael's shoulder.

"What was your question?" asked Lady Lyrael, her breath tickling Felicia's neck and causing a shiver to run down her spine.

"My question? Oh, that, uh-" Felicia was cut off by Lyrael before she could continue.

"You are not dead. _We_ are whole." Felicia drew back a little to find a slight frown on Lady Lyrael's face, a frown she couldn't help but to empathize with.

"Miss Hobson, you _are not_ dead," said Felicia emphatically, and Lyrael nodded agreement though she didn't make any move to remove her arms from where they rested around Felicia's shoulders.

"Lyrael," said Head Nyssa from somewhere behind Felicia. Startled, Felicia jumped, startling the kitty in turn into letting out a disgruntled meow. Head Nyssa's tone alone felt to Felicia like a promise of punishment.

"Head Nyssa," replied Lady Lyrael drawing Felicia back into the awkward embrace, seemingly oblivious of how Felicia had to fumble desperately to avoid dropping her books to the floor.

When it was painfully obvious from the silence that Lady Lyrael felt no need to account for herself, Nyssa tersely continued, "What are you doing?" Felicia swallowed a lump in her throat. The embrace was pleasantly warm, but her embarrassment certainly was not helping. Nor were the precariously balanced books.

"Answering student questions," said Lady Lyrael as though it was self-evident.

A few more moments passed before Nyssa reacted by just walking off. As Head Nyssa passed them, Felicia thought she heard the Head mutter something under her breath. _Head Nyssa did not just say "kinky" and walk off. My libido is definitely out of control if I'm thinking that's what she would say about this, this. . . really really nice hug._

"I suspect you snorted while laughing because that is how your remember laughter," said Lady Lyrael. Felicia snorted with laughter herself, imagining Aku doing the same. _Maybe Head Nyssa did say that after all._ "What was the question?" Lady Lyrael prompted again, and Felicia had to mentally switch gears to try and remember.

"Ah, I was just going to ask Lady Hobson if, uh, if she could feel you, er, petting the kitty." _This is sooo confusing!_

Lady Lyrael pulled back, breaking the embrace without warning. Felicia only had time to register the serious look on Lady Lyrael's face before she felt Lady Lyrael's hand on her arm, the arm carrying her many books and papers. "We must not drop these on the kitty," said Lady Lyrael gravely as she eased the bundle of books out of Felicia's arms and knelt to set it down off to the side. Felicia felt a measure of her self-control returning in this reprieve, but it was not a long reprieve. After a light scratching of the kitty's head, one which the feline eagerly welcomed, pushing for Lady Lyrael's hand to resume its ministrations, Lady Lyrael stood and drew Felicia back into the embrace again before answering, "Yes, Aku can feel everything our body feels. She enjoyed feeling the vibrations of kitty's purring, and she seems to also enjoy hugging too."

Felicia squeaked. It was not very dignified.

"I still do not know what a filter is," Lady Lyrael sighed.

"Oh! Um, I-I think Miss Hobson's just embarrassed that you are revealing so much of what she's thinking, er, saying? Do you hear her thoughts?" said Felicia.

"Oh," said Lady Lyrael quietly, pondering this over while her arms shifted to find an easier resting place, pulling Felicia ever so slightly closer, "I am not privy to Aku's thoughts, though I can hear her voice when she chooses to speak."

"I'm guessing you don't want me to tell Felicia what you just said, right?" said Lady Lyrael after a moment.

Felicia laughed, "And I'm guessing that's a better filter, Lady Lyrael, though I suspect Miss Hobson would probably still be embarrassed at what you just said."

"I'm sorry I embarrassed you, I'll. . . work on not doing that," said Lady Lyrael. The kitty, starved for attention, was starting to rub against Felicia's feet as well as Lady Lyrael's. _This is a really long hug. Does Aku. . . like hugs this much? More than petting kitties?_ If Felicia had not already been blushing scarlet, she would have blushed at the double meaning she saw in her own thoughts.

This time when someone spoke up behind her, Felicia did not jump, but she could not identify the speaker, "Um, Lady Lyrael, do you know if Missus Hobson will be teaching today?" _Perhaps another student?_

"Yes," said Lady Lyrael. Awkward silence reigned until the student walked past them towards the classroom. _Probably too intimidated by Lady Lyrael to ask for clarification,_ thought Felicia to herself with a smile.

"Felicia?" said Lady Lyrael.

"Yes?"

"Are there anymore questions we can answer?" Thinking back, trying to remember if she had asked anything that Lady Lyrael hadn't answered.

Felicia had trouble simply replying no. _There's so much I don't understand, and so much that has happened in so little time._ Felicia found herself saying the first thing that came to mind, although it wasn't actually a question, "I know healing wasn't going to be covered in this course, but after, well, everything, I need to learn how." It was not a happy thought for Felicia, but she wanted to be ready, or at least she did not want to be unprepared again. If the chaotic events of this school year and the last were anything to judge by, there would likely be further challenges, and she knew no one could say how long she had to prepare.

"I understand," said Lady Lyrael, pausing before she continued, "I wish, no, I need to learn healing as well. You are a promising paladin and you have both the shadow and the light without having been paired. We would be happy to train you. Although, truthfully, it would be Aku training the both of us."

"Oh I didn't mean to-" started Felicia, but Lady Lyrael cut her off.

"Aku would be happy to train you, Felicia. And I would be happy to help someone who cares for my pair's safety. I think you and I both wish to protect my pair, and I am grateful."

Not trusting her voice to reply, Felicia just nodded, confident Lady Lyrael could feel the simple gesture.

"Yesterday," said Lady Lyrael, "yesterday could have been a lot worse."

With those words, Lady Lyrael extricated herself from their hug and walked away towards the classroom. Felicia knelt to pick up her books, but found herself lingering to scratch the kitty behind the ears. Noticing that Lady Lyrael had stopped, Felicia looked up to see a slight smile on Lady Lyrael's face as she regarded Felicia and the kitty for a moment before continuing to her class.

Felicia was seated in her usual seat in the classroom, near to where Lady Lyrael now stood before the assembled students. Lady Lyrael had yet to start the class. Instead, Lady Lyrael simply stood before the chalkboard, staring into the hall they had come from. Felicia thought she was staring at the kitty that hadn't followed them into the classroom. _Likely, these are all the students that will be here for this class today._ Some of Aku's writing from the last class still remained on the board.

After some silence but before any student could work up the nerve to say anything, Lady Lyrael turned her eyes to the assembled pupils. "The monster that preyed upon the Mountain's peace is dead," said Lady Lyrael, "Your professor, as you knew her, died to bring this to pass." Felicia could her soft murmurs from the students seated behind her at this. _I wouldn't be surprised if there was more fiction than fact to any rumors that have circulated since yesterday._ "Some of you may know me as Lyrael, Aku's pair," Lady Lyrael held up her hand, the back of it plain for all to see. No mark. "Though our mark is now gone, Aku is not truly dead." Her expression impassive, Lady Lyrael's eyes met Felicia's briefly before she continued, "Aku is whole. We are a full gray mage. We will continue Aku's teaching duties." Her voice cutting over the students', Lady Lyrael continued, "Today, we will discuss what transpired yesterday and what will happen for the remainder of this school year. Classes _will_ continue. Before we begin, are there any questions?"

Felicia found herself feeling calm amid the confusion of that first class period. _The Mountain has changed, irrevocably, in a single day, but being here, listening to Lady Aku and Lady Lyrael's lecture, this is the first time since I saw Nik that I feel like life is back on track._ Felicia felt her eyes tearing up involuntarily, but she did not feel the need to cry. _I don't know what else may befall us or when, but I needed this. I needed to know that life continues. So far, today has been a good day._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [v0.0.0->v0.0.1](https://github.com/4love/Miss-Hobsons-Heart/compare/v0.0.0...v0.0.1?diff=split&name=v0.0.1#diff-4a7c148717c0a1a56363f581685a4e93)  
>  story isn't finished, but it's rather difficult to continue without further information how gray mages actually work.


End file.
